(This is the second post in a two-part series on differentiation. You can see the first post, which includes responses from Carol Tomlinson and Rick Wormeli, )
I posed this question :
鈥淲hat is the best advice you can give to a teacher about differentiating instruction?鈥�
I鈥檝e shared my response in an Ed Week Teacher article that I鈥檝e co-authored with my colleague, Katie Hull Sypnieski. It鈥檚 titled 鈥淭he Five By Five Approach To Differentiation Success.鈥�
Today鈥檚 column includes commentaries from Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt and Daniel K. Weckstein, and from Megan Allen, as well as ones from readers
Response From Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt & Daniel K. Weckstein
Dr. Kimberly Kappler Hewitt serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at University of North Carolina Greensboro and Daniel K. Weckstein is the Principal of Oakwood Junior High School in Dayton, Ohio. Kim and Dan co-authored :
Interested in differentiating instruction in your classroom? Here鈥檚 how to jump-start your process.
* Recognize that differentiation is an approach to teaching and learning, not a list of strategies. Differentiation requires commitment to the idea that one size doesn鈥檛 fit all. Differentiation means that 鈥渇airness鈥� isn鈥檛 everyone getting the same thing but rather everyone getting what she or he needs to maximize potential.
* Recognize and celebrate what you already do. It鈥檚 likely that you are already doing some differentiation in your classroom (e.g., flexible grouping for guided reading). Build on what you are already doing.
* Assess yourself to identify your strengths and areas for growth. Use a .
* Set reasonable goals/expectations for yourself. Once you identify ways in which you can grow in how you differentiate content, process, and product, identify one or two reachable goals for yourself.
* Learn! Model life-long learning by using books, DVDs, and websites about differentiation to grow as a teacher. We recommend (Carol Ann Tomlinson, ASCD, 1999) and (C. A. Tomlinson, ASCD, 2010), as well as the website and the DVD series (ASCD, 2008).
* Be candid with your students, administrators, and parents about what you are doing. Folks tend to be skeptical of what they don鈥檛 understand. Generally, though, people respond well when they know that a teacher is differentiating instruction to help students soar. A helpful book for administrators might be our own book, .
* Find a collaborative group of colleagues with whom you can learn and dialogue. Are you part of a Professional Learning Community (PLC)? If so, leverage it to support your differentiation efforts. If you don鈥檛 belong to a PLC, consider starting one with a couple of respected colleagues. PLCs can be an immensely powerful way to learn and grow as an educator. Learn more about .
* Consider the implications for assessment. Differentiation has all sorts of implications for assessment (e.g., use of formative assessment, including pretesting for flexible grouping and use of performance assessment). The book by Rick Wormeli provides a good introduction to these issues.
Response From Megan Allen
Megan Allen is Florida鈥檚 2010 State Teacher of the Year, a part of The Center For Teaching Quality鈥檚 work in Florida, and is currently Educator In Residence at the University of Central Florida. Megan also has just published a about teacher preparation:
Our search committee asked job candidates a standard question: 鈥淗ow do you differentiate instruction?鈥� Unfortunately, the answers were standard, too. After one interview, my colleague erupted, volcano-style: 鈥淲hy do we assume differentiated instruction can only happen in guided reading?鈥� Good point, my fiery-tempered friend.
Differentiated instruction can apply to any subject. I contemplated this truth recently while indulging in my latest exercise addiction: yoga. Sprawled across a wood floor in an uncomfortable position, wishing I had the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast, I realized something. My yoga instructor uses the same differentiation strategies in the studio that work in our K-12 classrooms:
Identify students鈥� starting points and interests. My yoga instructor begins every class by asking each student about any injuries and what they hope to accomplish in the session.
Offer ample opportunities for students to engage with concepts, stretch their thinking (or tendons), and reach their goals. I think of it as differentiated 鈥渃onstruction鈥� rather than 鈥渋nstruction"--I construct learning experiences using what I鈥檝e discovered about students鈥� interests, abilities, and learning styles.
Provide students with avenues for growth. For each pose, my instructor demonstrates an easy starting pose, then bumps it up notch-by-notch. That way, I can start with the beginner鈥檚 pose and attempt more advanced versions the moment I鈥檓 ready.
Gauge students鈥� progress--and know when to push them. My yoga instructor鈥檚 informal observations help me to move forward and try new poses, even if they鈥檙e uncomfortable at first.
My yoga instructor鈥檚 teaching is student-centered--adapted for each student鈥檚 needs, interests, abilities, and learning styles. Yoga has improved my flexibility, but it鈥檚 also reminded me of the flexibility of differentiated instruction strategies. They鈥檙e not just for guided reading. As the yogi of our classrooms, we must use these tools to reach each student.
Response From Readers
bill writes:
I think one of the best ways to differentiate content is by using student-generated questions. You can teach the skills you want, but each student鈥檚 topic is by definition relevant to them. For skills, there have been two years where I worked a system wherein they all start with an identical skill list and then as they achieve proficiency in different areas, I give them a list of new skills from which to choose.
Ed Week Teacher blogger Coach G wrote:
I think we should think of it more as differentiated learning than differentiated instruction. Hand in hand with this is the recognition that real learning doesn鈥檛 happen when teachers are presenting information, but rather when students are applying that information--and teachers are there to coach them as necessary. Check-out for more on this....
Please feel free to leave a comment sharing your reactions to this question and the ideas shared here.
Thanks to Kim, Dan, Megan, bill and Coach G for sharing their responses!
Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org.When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it鈥檚 selected or if you鈥檇 prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.
Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a selection of twelve published by .
I鈥檒l be posting the next 鈥渜uestion of the week鈥� on Friday.